Diaphragm pump

ABSTRACT

A diaphragm pump having a chamber with a bottom wall and a straight line channel providing a passage from supply to discharge across the chamber below the bottom wall with this channel opening upwardly into the bottom wall of the chamber and with a diaphragm fixed to the upper periphery of the chamber and flexing into the chamber to displace a major portion of the fluid in the chamber.

Waited States Patent 1 Collamore, Jr.

[ 1 DIAPHRAGM PUMP {75] Inventor: John H. Collamore, in, Barrington,

[73] Assignee: Dart Union Company, Providence,

[22] Filed: Apr. 21, 1969 [21] Appl. No.: 817,891

[52] US. Cl. 417/565 [51] int. Cl. F041) 21/06 {58] Field of Search 417/568, 565; 103/150; 230/170 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,767,320 6/1930 Sinanide 417/446 X 2,734,667 2/1956 Conldin 103/153 2,845,875 8/1958 Corbett 103/153 .luly 10, 11973 2,869,585 1/1959 103/153 2,985,111 5/1961 Henderson... 103/153 3,338,171 8/1967 Conklin..... 103/150 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLlCATlONS 95,097 1/1919 Switzerland 103/150 Primary Examiner-William L. Freeh Attorney-Barlow and Barlow [57] ABSTRACT A diaphragm pump having a chamber with a bottom wall and a straight line channel providing a passage from supply to discharge across the chamber below the bottom wall with this channel opening upwardly into the bottom wall of the chamber and with a diaphragm fixed to the upper periphery of the chamber and flexing into the chamber to displace a major portion of the fluid in the chamber.

2 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures Patented July 10, 1973 3,744,937

INVENTOR F 9 G. 2 JOHN H OOLLAMORE, JR.

km MQQZW- ATTORNEYS DIAPHRAGM PUMP BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION A diaphragm pump which is used to pump not only fluid but small debris which might come from the bilge of a small boat or the like has often formed the source of annoyance to a small boat operator since pumps of this character tend to clog and become inoperative under the extreme conditions in which they must operate. It is desired that the pump be kept of light weight, that it will operate in any position with no mechanical change being made of the parts thereof, and further will be a pump which will pump a large amount of liquid over a given period of time consistent with the overall physical size of the pump. A pump of this nature should, therefore, be of simple construction so that it can also be taken apart with a minimum number of tools and by the totally unskilled. In the marine field the two most popular pumps on the market are the Henderson pump which is exemplified by US. Pat. No. 2,985,111 and the Munster Simms pump which is exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 3,236,188. These prior art pump configurations attempt to solve some of the general problems existent in the small boat marine field but are of complicated construction which is expensive and which does not achieve all of the advantages that are secured by the pump of the instant invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A pumping chamber is provided of generally cylindrical construction, with a bottom wall and open top and on the periphery of the upper side walls of this pumping chamber there is attached the edge of the diaphragm which is of sutficient size to flex fully within the pumping chamber to its bottom. An inlet and an outlet are provided on a diameter of this pumping chamber located below the bottom of the pumping chamber. An upwardly open channel opens upwardly into the bottom of the pumping chamber and provides a straight line passage from inlet to outlet. The bottom wall extends from the upper edge of the channel reducing the size of the chamber from a chamber heretofore formed with the bottom wall at a greater distance from the upper edge of the side walls yet increasing the flow to a greater extent than would be expected per pump stroke. Means are provided to flex the diaphragm from a position adjacent the bottom of the pumping chamber to a position substantially above the upper edge of the side wall of the pumping chamber. Check valves are placed in the supply and discharge lines from the chambet and are located on end flanges of the inlet and outlet so that these check valves serve as sealing means as well as check valves.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a sectional view partly broken away showing the construction of the pump, the broken lines depicting an upper suction position; and

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the pump at right angles to FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, designates a pumping chamber which may be cylindrical in plan and which basically consists of a bottom wall 111 and side walls 12. An inlet boss i4 provides an opening through the side walls 112 and spaced therefrom is an outlet boss l5 which similarly provides an opening through the side walls 12. These bosses have bores therein that are located below the bottom wall ll of the chamber and on a diameter thereof. A straight line passage between these bosses is formed by the channel 117 here shown as a half cylindrical wall l8 opening into the chamber It to achieve a straight path flow through the chamber. Each of the bosses l4 and 15 are provided with flanges 16 and fastened to these flanges are inlet and outlet fittings 19 and 2b both of which have mating flanges 2i. Between the flanges l6 and H are located check valves 22 and 23, which check valves are illustrated as comprising disc-like members with central flexible portions, which in seated position will rest against the flanges l6 and 21 acting as sealing gaskets and in open position are permitted to flex in the enlargements adjacent them. Preferably, fastenings such as 25 are oriented quadrantally around the flanges l6 and 2H, and in this fashion the orientation of the check valves 22 and 23 may be altered to suit horizontal mounting of the pump body or vertical mounting thereof in either attitude as well as upside down mounting on an overhead or the like, reorientation of the check valves being had by orienting them so that the flap portion will be normally closed by the action of gravity. It will, of course, be appreciated that the check valves 22 and 23 serve as gaskets between the flanges l6 and 21, respectively, and it has been found, for example, that while under some conditions it might be acceptable to re-orient the check valves, this step is not necessary if the check valves are made from a suitable material. For example, if the check valves are made from a rubber-like substance, they should have a durometer of at least and preferably a durometer in the vicinity of 90. If check valves are chosen that exhibit similar properties to a rubberlike check valve having a durometer of approximately 90, then it is not necessary to re-orient the check valves to operate the pump in any position that is desired. If, for example, the check valve is made from some other material than a rubber-like substance that is measured on a durometer scale, it should exhibit properties similar to a rubber-like substance that has a durometer in excess of 75 and one preferably in the range of approximately 90. In this way a certain stiffness of the check valve is had and a much better sealing action is had against the flanges l6 and 211 with no chance of deformation taking place to give a leakage. For example, it is very common for a pump of this character to pump with a 5-pound internal pressure, and if the check valve does not have a proper durometer rating, then it will not operate in conditions of this character and particularly will not operate in any position such as is possible with the pump of the instant invention.

The upper edge of the side walls E2 is flanged as at 30 and provided with a groove 31 that extends thereabout. A diaphragm member 32 is molded so as to be generally cup-shape in configuration and is provided with a peripheral portion that has an integral rib 34. The integral rib nests in the groove 3% which is of a cross-section less than the cross-section of rib 3 5 so as to form a water-tight joint between the diaphragm and the flange 30. A clamping ring 36 engages the upper side of the diaphragm and is held in place by means of a plurality of screws or other fastening means 37. A bifurcated post 4% rises from the flange 36 and has a lever 41 pivoted thereto on pin 42. A pitman 33 is pivoted to the lever 41 having a clevis 44 and pin 45. This pitman 43 is secured to the diaphragm plates 46, 47 by a screw 48 that receives the diaphragm 32 between them. As will be seen by referring to the drawing, the diaphragm plates extend on either side of the diaphragm 32 and hold the diaphragm to the pitman by means of a fastener such as 48.

To provide a mounting for the post structure just described, the bottom wall 11 of the chamber is provided with feet 50 which radially downwardly extend therefrom and which have suitable holes to receive fastening means that will permit the pump structure to be fastened to any supporting structure.

It will be noted that the inlet and outlet bores are located below the bottom wall alone of the pumping chamber, and are connected by a straight line passage. This enhances full action of the pump by eliminating any crevices or other portions where foreign material may lodge. Further, the inlet and the outlet bores are diametrically opposed to each other, and this feature further enhances the pumping operation and permits a large amount of foreign matter to pass along with the liquid without being trapped in the pumping chamber or in elbows or other restrictive portions that could otherwise be formed. Additionally, the chamber volume above the bottom wall 11 plus the volume of the channel 17 is less than heretofore where the bottom wall was of a greater distance from the upper edge of the chamber and near the bottom of the channel which assists in the volume of output of the pump in an amount by reason of the channel structure and the straight line passage. Damage to the diaphragm ,during the discharge stroke or downstroke is prevented by the backup plate 47 which physically engages the bottom wall 1 l of the main pumping chamber. A rupture of the diaphragm on the upward stroke is not a serious problem, as considerable suction is being created during this portion of the stroke which limits the amount of force that can be exerted by one using the pump.

it will further be appreciated that the construction of this pump is such that a minimual amount of metallic parts need be used since the main chamber and all parts related thereto except for the fastening means can be made from moldable plastic. Thus, a pump of this construction is especially suitable for handling corrosive liquids.

As an example a pump having a chamber of a depth of 3% inches from top of flange 30 to bottom wall 11 with no channel required four strokes to discharge a gallon while a pump with chamber of a depth of 1% inches from top of flange 30 to bottom wall 11 with a channel 18 as shown of inches in height required three strokes to discharge a gallon. All other comparable dimensions were the same with the two pumps compared.

I claim:

1. A pump comprising a cylindrical chamber having a substantially flat generally circular bottom wall and a substantially cylindrical wall structure arising therefrom to define a straight side wall structure substantially normal to the bottom wall to create a maximum volume pumping chamber, the upper edge of the side wall structure defining a rim, a supply conduit and a discharge conduit connected to said chamber to intersect the side walls thereof at diametrically opposite locations of said chamber with the lowermost edges thereof substantially below the bottom wall of the chamber, mating flanges formed in a generally vertical plane at the juncture of the said conduits and the side walls, a channel below said bottom wall connecting said conduits in a straight line and opening upwardly into said chamber for its length between said conduits, a resilient flap valve located outwardly of said channel and between said mating flanges at the juncture with each of said conduits and normally engaging said flanges, a diaphragm fastened to said rim, a diaphragm plate secured centrally to said diaphragm, said plate being of substantially the bottom wall diameter, said diaphragm normally extending in proximity to said side wall structure for a substantial distance and thence substantially flat, parallel and slightly spaced from said substantially flat bottom wall and means to reciprocate said diaphragm.

2. A pump as in claim 1 wherein said channel is hemispherical and said conduits are cylindrical. 

1. A pump comprising a cylindrical chamber having a substantially flat generally circular bottom wall and a substantially cylindrical wall structure arising therefrom to define a straight side wall structure substantially normal to the bottom wall to create a maximum volume pumping chamber, the upper edge of the side wall structure defining a rim, a supply conduit and a discharge conduit connected to said chamber to intersect the side walls thereof at diametrically opposite locations of said chamber with the lowermost edges thereof substantially below the bottom wall of the chamber, mating flanges formed in a generally vertical plane at the juncture of the said conduits and the side walls, a channel below said bottom wall connecting said conduits in a straight line and opening upwardly into said chamber for its length between said conduits, a resilient flap valve located outwardly of said channel and between said mating flanges at the juncture with each of said conduits and normally engaging said flanges, a diaphragm fastened to said rim, a diaphragm plate secured centrally to said diaphragm, said plate being of substantially the bottom wall diameter, said diaphragm normally extending in proximity to said side wall structure for a substantial distance and thence substantially flat, parallel and slightly spaced from said substantially flat bottom wall and means to reciprocate said diaphragm.
 2. A pump as in claim 1 wherein said channel is hemispheriCal and said conduits are cylindrical. 